Here’s what the Tencent folder is in your Android phone:
The Tencent folder is a cache folder that holds a wide variety of user data on various Android phones.
Tencent is the parent company that owns a lot of software developers and publishers.
If you have installed any app that is ultimately owned by Tencent, there is a good chance that this folder is on your phone.
So if you want to learn all about the Tencent folder on your Android phone and whether you can delete it, then this article is for you.
Keep reading!
What Is Tencent?
Tencent is a Chinese multimedia company and is one of the largest corporations in the world.
The company is currently valued at more than $500 billion, and for a lot of tech-savvy individuals and gamers among you, the name might sound familiar.
Tencent owns tons of apps and games.
There are way too many to list, but some of the best known are WeChat and QQ.
They also have a majority stake in a couple of game companies like Riot (the makers of League of Legends and Valorant) and PubG.
On top of all of that, they own a stake in a small social media platform you might also have heard of: TikTok.
The sheer number of Android applications that are at least partially owned by Tencent is staggering.
So, if you use your phone for more than just texting and calling, there’s a reasonable chance that you have a Tencent folder in there somewhere.
Why Do They Have a Tencent Folder on Your Android Phone?
The Tencent folder might feel controversial.
It exists separate from the game and app folders for a lot of the software owned by Tencent.
For instance, if you download PubG to your phone, you will have a PubG folder.
You might also see a Tencent folder.
It’s important to understand that in many cases, the Tencent folder adds nothing of value to the function of the app you are actually using.
Instead, this is a cache folder that collects data on your phone usage.
The exact nature and extent of that data varies, but suffice it to say that it is not limited to how you use Tencent-owned applications.
How you feel about this is up to you, but it’s worth noting that the nature of the Tencent folder lends it to eating up a lot of space on a phone, which might be what drove you here in the first place.
What Does the Tencent Folder Do in Your Android Phone?
The folder itself just holds data.
Some of that data might be directly related to an app you use.
In particular, WeChat seems to store important files in the Tencent folder.
So, if you delete the folder (more on that later), it could impact the functionality of some of your Tencent-owned apps.
That said, plenty of Tencent apps don’t use the folder at all.
Now, the folder really does just hold data.
It collects rather large volumes of information, but the folder itself doesn’t send that information anywhere.
In order for Tencent (or any other company) to see and use that information, a separate app is needed.
Tencent does make such apps and software, but that’s getting a bit outside of the scope of this conversation.
Is the Tencent Folder in Your Android Phone Malicious?
Whether or not this folder is considered malicious depends on who you ask.
It is certainly not a folder of active malware that is going to destroy your phone.
It could, however, arguably be considered spyware.
It is collecting large volumes of data related to how you use your phone, and you didn’t exactly ask it to be there.
There are a couple of things that you should really understand about this folder.
First, it is mostly passive.
While information is stored in this folder, the folder itself cannot directly harm your phone.
So, in that sense, it definitely is not malicious.
Another thing to note is that Tencent has been caught spying on users in matters that are ethically questionable at best.
To avoid getting into geopolitics, Tencent has faced pretty serious accusations of abusing user trust over the years.
They are not the first tech giant to go through this, and they won’t be the last.
The simple fact is that major tech companies are seriously interested in user data, and the ethical lines have been blurred by many.
It’s really up to you whether or not this particular case is bothersome.
Where Can You Find the Tencent Folder on Your Android Phone?
So, where is the Tencent folder located on a phone?
Technically, you have some say in that when you install Tencent software.
Usually, it is located under My Files.
In that directory, you can navigate to your Internal Storage. By default, there will be a Tencent Folder here.
If you did a custom installation of a Tencent-owned app, the Tencent folder will be wherever you directed it.
It will usually be on internal storage, but you can direct it to install on removable storage devices instead.
Can You Delete the Tencent Folder?
Yes. You can definitely delete the Tencent folder.
Doing so will not harm your phone in any way, and deleting the folder can often free up a ton of storage space.
Since this folder can cache messages, photos, videos, and so much more, it can get fat very quickly.
It’s important to understand two things, though.
First, deleting the Tencent folder can negatively impact the performance of Tencent applications.
You already read about WeChat, but the issue isn’t limited to one app.
The user experience varies.
It’s possible that your installed game will run into unexpected errors or issues without some of the information cached in this folder.
If that’s the case, you can reinstall your app, and it should rebuild a fresh Tencent folder too.
The second thing to note is that deleting this folder is not necessarily a permanent operation.
As you just read, you can rebuild the folder by reinstalling Tencent software.
You can also rebuild the folder by unintentionally installing new Tencent software.
If you’re determined to keep this folder off of your phone, always double-check who owns the publisher of any app you are thinking of installing.
It’s not always an easy answer to find.
Tencent owns so many developers and publishers that sometimes an app might be made by a subsidiary of a subsidiary.
How to Delete the Tencent Folder in Your Android Phone?
Deleting the Tencent folder is pretty simple.
Go into your files and locate the Tencent folder (the default location is mentioned above).
Once you find it, tap the menu icon.
You’ll find it to the right of the folder. You’ll get a few options. Choose delete.
This will delete the Tencent folder and everything in it.
